Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross: Why walk the Via Dolorosa?

From the earliest days, followers of Jesus told the story of his passion, death and resurrection. When pilgrims came to see Jerusalem, they were anxious to see the sites where Jesus was. These sites become important holy connections with Jesus. Eventually, following in the footsteps of our Lord along the Via Dolorosa - the Way of Sorrows - became a part of the pilgrimage visit. Stations, as we know them today, came about when it was no longer easy or even possible to visit the holy sites – the world’s first “virtual” pilgrimage, if you will. In the 1500s, villages all over Europe started creating replicas of the Via Dolorosa by placing small shrines at intervals along their own streets commemorating the places along Christ’s walk to Calvary. Today, the Stations of the Cross are found all over Christendom and are a traditional act of devotion during Holy Week. 


And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. Matt 27:2


The Stations of the Cross is the traditional route in Jerusalem on which Jesus traveled from the judgment seat of Pilate, also called the Praetorium, to the place of his crucifixion on Mount Calvary. After his judgment by Pontius Pilate, Jesus was beaten, mocked, and spit upon by the Roman soldiers. Then he was forced to carry his own cross through the streets of Jerusalem to Golgotha, where he was crucified. The Via Dolorosa traditionally consists of fourteen Stations marking fourteen incidents that took place along the way.

Biblical readings, commentaries, and reflection accompany visual representations of Jesus’ ordeal. Traditionally, the fourteen stations are these:

1. Jesus is condemned to death.
2. Jesus is given His cross.
3. Jesus falls down for the first time.
4. Jesus meets His mother Mary.
5. Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry the cross.
6. Veronica wipes blood off of Jesus’ face.
7. Jesus falls down for the second time.
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.
9. Jesus falls down for the third time.
10. Jesus is stripped of His clothing.
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross – the Crucifixion.
12. Jesus dies on the cross.
13. Jesus’ body is removed from the cross – the Deposition or Lamentation.
14. Jesus’ body is placed in the tomb.

At Creator, we are blessed to have fourteen beautiful hand-painted wood plaques depicting the Way of Sorrows. They were a gift from Sandy Wainwright, whose husband, William E. Wainright, an accomplished artist, painted some forty years ago. The artistry is beautiful, but the images are hard to look at. This is not a light, flowery time of devotion; this is a walk alongside Jesus through his turmoil and death.

So why do it? Why walk the Via Delarosa? Praying and meditating upon the suffering of our Lord is a powerful and humbling act of love. Love is what God gave when we were made, love is what God expressed from the Cross, love is the light which shines in the darkness of our lives. God the Son endured pain, torment, and torture for all of humankind so that we human beings would be spared such a fate. The Stations of the Cross reflect our lives back upon us as we realize that our sins are counted as part of the reason why Jesus was crucified. How can we not draw closer to God knowing that our lives - personally - caused the greatest suffering the world has ever known.

We, however, are not left with this. Praying the Stations of the Cross brings us face to face with suffering - his and our own. We look at Jesus’ suffering in his travail and we know we are not alone in our suffering. Jesus' suffering is absolute and in every way an offering to the Father of love for the other. His reliance upon the Father is the gift he has given us. In the heart of his story is our own, and through his example we are able to look to our Lord for that strength and comfort during times of suffering in our lives. Suffering is not meaningless. Through the love of God, it can be transformed and redeemed. That is what the Stations of the Cross show us.

Everyone suffers, and so we have this beautiful meditative example – this beautiful prayer in the Stations of the Cross - to show us how to endure it. We know that when we enter into suffering, we have a choice. We have a choice in how we respond.

I invite you to really step into this meditation, to pray with it, to walk it, to really dig in, to put yourself there along the path of the Via Dolorosa, and allow our Lord to show you how to endure. Allow the Father to imbue you with strength, and wisdom, and grace, and mercy, so that you might serve better.
We are gathering tomorrow, Wednesday night at 6:00 at the Church to walk the Way of Sorrows with our Lord. Please join us.

Peace along the Way,
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Fr. Bill+
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